Lionel Messi has more than doubled his salary to $25 million (£18.5 million) in his new contract with Inter Miami, earning more than twice as much as the second-highest-paid player in Major League Soccer, Los Angeles FC's Son Heung Min.
Messi's Record-Breaking Compensation
The MLS Players' Association revealed in its first salary release of 2026 that Messi's new deal includes $25 million in base salary and over $28 million in guaranteed compensation. The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner earns more than the entire payroll of 28 of the other 29 MLS teams.
Inter Miami's total payroll of $54.6 million (£40.4 million) is more than $20 million (£14.8 million) higher than second-placed LAFC at $32.7 million (£24.2 million) and nearly five times the league-low $11.7 million (£8.65 million) of Philadelphia. Miami's payroll has increased from $46.8 million (£34.6 million) at the start of last season.
League-Wide Salary Growth
Total league compensation reached $631 million (£467 million), with the average guaranteed compensation of $688,816 on 16 April up nearly nine percent from the start of October. Messi signed a new three-year contract through the 2028 season in October before leading Inter Miami to its first MLS title.
The Argentina captain has scored 59 goals in 64 regular-season games with Miami, including nine in 11 matches this season. He topped the MLS scoring charts with 29 goals last season and won his second straight MVP award.
His salary figures are for his MLS contract and include any marketing bonus and agents fees but do not account for additional agreements with the team or affiliates, or performance bonuses.
Top Earners Behind Messi
Son Heung Min is second in the league with a base salary of $10,368,750 (£7.7 million) and total compensation of $11.2 million (£8.3 million), the same as last season. The 33-year-old winger joined LAFC from Tottenham last August.
Other top earners include former Newcastle creator Miguel Almiron, who earns $7.9 million (£5.84 million), and Vancouver Whitecaps' Thomas Muller, who earns $5.15 million (£3.81 million) after leaving Bayern Munich last summer.
Cincinnati centre-back Miles Robinson, with a salary of $3.95 million (£2.92 million), is the top earner among likely inclusions in Mauricio Pochettino's United States squad for the 2026 World Cup.
